HS: Winter FAB 50 rankings, Jan. 1

by Sheldon Shealer

January 1, 2019

The handful of showcase events played last week had minimal effect on the Winter FAB 50 rankings.

Forty-eight of the previous week's 50 teams in each the boys and girls rankings return this week. In fact, the top 34 teams remain in the same order as last week. While there was some movement in the boys Top 25, nothing changes among the nation's top teams.

This week becomes the moment of truth for the ranked Texas programs as the UIL regular season gets under way, starting Thursday.

All eyes will be on the National Elite Prep Showcase (NEPS) for girls and the North Texas Showcase (NTXS) for boys, both played in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

NEPS features 28 teams, 19 of them are from outside the DFW, including teams from California and Florida. This is a showcase event where the pairings already have been set. The top-ranked participating teams are FAB 50 No. 3 Southlake Carroll (Texas), No. 18 Marcus (Texas), No. 36 Byron Nelson (Texas), No. 39 Grapevine (Texas), No. 40 Carondelet (Calif.), No. 45 Bishop Lynch (Texas) and No. 46 Ursuline Academy (Texas). Harvard-Westlake (Calif.), St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) and Santa Margarita (Calif.) are regionally ranked and could get into the FAB 50 with strong showings this week.

NTXS is comprised of two national eight-team tournaments and a 12-team mixer for local programs. The Black Division features FAB 50 No. 3 Grand Prairie (Texas), No. 10 Cathedral (Calif.), No. 25 Coppell (Texas) and No. 29 St. Paul's (La.). Cathedral and Grand Prairie clash in a Thursday quarterfinal match. The Red Division features FAB 50 No. 1 Loyola (Calif.), No. 5 Marcus (Texas), No. 20 Central Catholic (Texas), No. 23 Sam Houston (Texas) and regionally ranked Jackson Prep (Miss.).

Now on with the rankings ...

BIG MOVERS: BOYS: St. Paul's (Covington, La.). A four-spot jump for St. Paul's proved to be the biggest move in this week's rankings as most teams were idle. St. Paul's is up to No. 29. ... GIRLS: None. No team moved up more than one spot this week. In fact, the top 34 teams remain in the same order as last week.

NEWCOMERS: BOYS: No. 31 Aliso Niguel (Aliso Viejo, Calif.), No. 32 Torrey Pines (Calif.), . ... GIRLS: No. 41 [Academy of Our Lady of Peace ca-w] (San Diego, Calif.), No. 42 Vista Murrieta (Murreita, Calif.).

CLICK BELOW FOR THE COMPLETE WINTER HIGH SCHOOL RANKINGS

WINTER FAB 50 RANKINGS: BOYS (Dec. 25) | GIRLS (Dec. 25)

WINTER REGION RANKINGS: BOYS (Dec. 24) | GIRLS (Dec. 24)

WINTER STATE RANKINGS: BOYS (Dec. 24) | GIRLS (Dec. 24)